Message from the Chair

Written by Section Administrator.

Dear Fellow Workers’ Compensation Practitioners:

I am honored to serve you as Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Florida Bar. My term as chair comes at a time when the law and our practices are in a state of flux. Interest groups representing various stakeholders seek statutory reform. Industry stakeholders want to “correct” recent decisions from the Florida Supreme Court invalidating benefit and attorney’s fee limitations. Labor and the trial bar advocates desire rate reform and a restoration of the benefits stripped from the statute with the 2003 legislative reforms.

Florida politics mirror politics at the federal level. Legislators and stakeholders on both sides sadly work from a foundation of mistrust and an unwillingness to find a middle ground for reform. Some legislators and stakeholders would seemingly prefer not to pass a bill then to sit down with the other side and hammer out a compromise. Unable to pass a bill during the 2017 legislative session, the Florida Legislature will most certainly address the issue in the upcoming 2018 session. Our mission as a section will focus on assuring that any bill put forth preserves access to the courts and assures the independence of the judiciary.

Thankfully, the executive council members of the Worker’s Compensation Section of the Florida Bar work hand-in-hand to accomplish mutually agreed goals that benefit both sides of the Bar. From the premier educational conference for practitioners, the Workers’ Compensation Forum, to lunch-and learn seminars, to the Winter Ski Seminar, to the News & 440 Report, the Section is without peer in bringing you, its members, the resources and information we all need to continually improve our skills as practitioners.

Given the commitment of those who serve on the Executive Council, I wholeheartedly believe your Section is in great hands. The state of the Section is a direct result of the efforts of these council members. My commitment to each of you is to pursue the Section’s legislative agenda in Tallahassee and to maintain the high quality educational programs already in place for section members.